1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waste toner container and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copier and a printer, there has been known a technique of removing untransferred toner, which remains on an image bearer such as a photoconductor drum, a photoconductor belt, an intermediate transfer belt, and an intermediate transfer drum after a transfer process has been performed, by a cleaning unit, discharging the untransferred toner recovered in the cleaning unit as waste toner from the cleaning unit, and recovering the waste toner in a waste toner container (see, for example, Japanese Granted Patent Publication NO. 4621470 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2012-208461).
When a state in which the waste toner container is full (or near-full) with the recovered waste toner is detected by a waste toner detection unit, the container is taken out of an image forming apparatus main body and is replaced with an empty container (maintenance work).
Specifically, in Japanese Granted Patent Publication NO. 4621470, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2012-208461, and the like, the waste toner detection unit installed in the waste toner container is constituted of a flexibility seal (flexibility member), which is installed so as to cover an opening portion formed in a ceiling portion of the waste toner container, and a movable piece (movable member) contacting the flexibility seal from outside of the waste toner container. Then, when the waste toner container becomes full or near full with the waste toner recovered therein, the movable piece is displaced upward due to a push by the waste toner or a conveyance member through the flexibility seal. A full state or a near-full state of the waste toner in the waste toner container is recognized by a sensor (detection means), which is fixedly installed in the image forming apparatus main body, as it detects the movable piece.
The waste toner container described above in Japanese Granted Patent Publication NO. 4621470, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2012-208461, and the like has a possibility that a failure may be caused, when it is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, by the movable member (movable piece) of the waste toner detection unit being displaced upward by some chance, contacting and damaging the image forming apparatus main body.
This has been a problem that cannot be ignored particularly in a case where an opening/closing member for opening/closing an inflow port of the waste toner in link with attaching/detaching operation to and from the image forming apparatus main body is provided such that the waste toner does not leak from the waste toner container when it is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, in a case where the waste toner container is formed of a relatively soft resin material to decrease weight of the waste toner container, and the like, because during the attaching/detaching operation to and from the image forming apparatus main body, the waste toner container is slightly crushed due to gripping force of an operator, whereby inner pressure inside of the container is in an increased state, and the movable member is lifted upward together with the flexibility member (flexibility seal) due to the increased inner pressure.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a waste toner container and an image forming apparatus in which, when the waste toner container is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, the failure that the movable member of the waste toner detection unit is displaced and contacts the image forming apparatus main body is not caused.